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[gabexofxavalor-blog]

The End Is Nigh(t)

Summary: Princess Elena, Sofia and Hiro head into town after locating Orizaba’s temporary hideout in order to recover the town to its former, day-and-night glory by ending the Eternal Night.

Date: November 2nd, 2018

Triggers: None.

ORIZABA

The feeling of the Night was everything Orizaba recalled it to be: Refreshing, pure and peaceful. If you managed to ignore the dead people running amok. She managed, though, mostly because she was well aware that, after this little show in this little pathetic town, she’d go on to take over those lands taken from her by fearful invaders. And this time around, she’d show them who’s who.

As the invasion of Swynlake seemed to go swiftly, the Goddess of the Night had settled, temporarily, on top of an abandoned but wonderful mansion in what the money-obsessed mundus called The Woods. An abandoned house was perfect because, well, it would appear that nobody had been there in little less than a year. It had all the markings of a beast’s attack, so whoever lived there wouldn’t be coming back soon. Thus, it wouldn’t be easy for people to find her.

Just in case, though, outside the house sat her most trusted sentry. The sorceress’ familiar, an emerald-eyed doe, kept watch from one of the windows, ready to sprint to her mistress as soon as movement was felt. Orizaba knew that it would be technically possible for people to find out her location if they were sufficiently familiar with how her magic or the Eye worked, and she wasn’t about to take any chances.

ELENA

“I. Am. Sick. Of these mother fucking traumas in my fucking life,” Elena hissed to Sofia, channeling her inner Samuel L. Jackson. She huffed and continued her trek to the house Goliath told her was Orizaba’s hideout with what can only be described as pure murder in her eyes.

Elena’s grip on her Scepter tightened, so much so that her knuckles were turning white and her nails dug into her palm. As her nails broke skin, she didn’t even notice the blood. At least in her rage, she had achieved some level of badassery.

Lucia would be proud. She hoped.

“Sofia, I am going to r i p that overgrown moth’s wings off of her and feed them to my cat!” She continued her rant, but in Spanish. “No merciful queen here, not today. This is practice for when I yank Shuriki off the throne of my kingdom by force and make a slip-n-slide from her organs.”

For the Eternal Night? Orizaba deserved an ass-kicking. For possessing her best friend and bodyguard’s body, and for mind-controlling her gargoyle dad into trying to kill her? If Elena didn’t have to send her back to the Spirit Realm, she’d make a guillotine herself for her.

The rage that bubbled inside of Elena was palpable, like you could cut the angry aura around her with a knife.

“Mira, allí. Look up there.” Elena pointed to the rooftop of a house they were nearing. “It’s murder time, kids.”

SOFIA

No one ask where Sofia got the sword, okay?

She held it one hand as she followed quietly behind Elena, keeping one eye on her and Hiro and the other on their surroundings. This wasn’t the first time Sofia’d had to sneak around during a magical attack on her home (Enchancia was cool, not perfect), and she was ready to do what was needed. Even if that meant calming down Elena’s murderous rage before they launched an attack on a nocturnal demon.

“Elena, wait,” Sofia whispered, grabbing Elena by the back of her jeans and pulling her back out of sight as she motioned for Hiro to stop. “Orizaba could have the house guarded, we have to be careful! And we need a plan anyways, we can’t just go in screaming bloody murder.” She lowered her voice. “You still can’t use the Scepter for too long without tiring yourself out. We have to think this through.”

Rising slightly from her crouch, Sofia looked around the grounds quickly before dropping back down again. “Okay,” she said to Elena and Hiro. “Looks like there’s only one of her creatures watching the door. Shouldn’t be hard for us to keep the element of surprise. Any ideas?”

HIRO

Hiro had decided to tag along. He was ready to actually do something to help out, and had the means to do so. It was perfect. He’d even told Aunt Cass that he was barricading at Sofia’s so she wouldn’t worry, because he knew she wouldn’t let this happen.

He followed the other two, and crouched next to Sofia. The young man squinted and managed to see the doe with the twinkling eyes, and the way she twitched her ears in alert.

“I have an idea,” Hiro exclaimed, and readied his arm-cannon-thing (name pending), aiming it at the doe. “We take it out before it sees us, and sneak right in! It’s pretty easy, since I’ve got great aim nowadays. Just let me get this ready…”

ORIZABA

Meanwhile, inside the house, the moth fairy winged around the ballroom, decorating the place with colorful flowers hanging from the rafters and all over the floor. It might be a temporary home, but she still deserved a proper palace to live in!

The doe guarding the entrance, meanwhile, was almost unmovable. She didn’t get distracted, and her emerald eyes constantly scanned the grounds. She hadn’t found anything just yet, and there had been no need to worry - Of course, so far she’d failed to scan the upper ground the invaders had taken refuge on.

ELENA

Elena swallowed hard and eyed Hiro’s...whatever it was, with suspicion. “Are you sure this is safe?” she asked Sofia, before deciding on her own the correct answer to her question was, “Fuck it.”

Fuck it, nothing was safe right now, literally nothing, and worst case scenario, she’ll die by Hiro’s malfunctioning invention instead of die by Orizaba’s hand. Best case scenario? It works and Hiro becomes her new new favorite person.

Perhaps second favorite, behind only Naomi.

She met Hiro’s eye and nodded. “Go for it.”

SOFIA

“Quietly, though. Only if you can do it quietly,” Sofia said quickly, grimacing at the idea of killing the doe. What if it was just like Goliath? An innocent creature under Orizaba’s thrall? But Hiro and Elena were right, they didn’t have the time. “Otherwise we’ll alert Orizaba that we’re here. And try to just... knock it out?”

Across the street and several buildings down, far enough that the doe wouldn’t spot him, Sofia saw Goliath swoop in and land on the roof. Even this far away, she could see his eyes shining white with his anger.

HIRO

“Yeah, okay,” Hiro replied, not really making any promises because it wasn’t that probable that the thing would survive the blast. Or if it did, it would also possibly be crippled in a way that’d have them kill it out of mercy. Still, it was for the greater good, so he took aim and shot.

The doe’s head turned in their direction as soon as the blast had left the machine, but it was too late - as the laser struck its target and Hiro cheered about it, the doe was gone. Its body hadn’t truly collapsed. Instead, it seemed to turn into a cloud of magical dust and swirled around before being carried away by the wind.

“See? It’s perfectly fine. Probably was already dead or something!” the boy suggested.

ORIZABA

The moth fairy kept going about her business, now redecorating her colorful purple dress with even more flowers, when something struck at her heart. It was a light pain, but the source of it became evident when a cloud of her magic traveled into the house and reformed her beautiful, emerald-eyed doe in front of her, as if she’d just woken up.

“I suppose our friends are here, my pet?” she asked sing-songily. THen, the woman’s face turned into a frown as she pet the creature’s head. “I hope they come soon. Nobody harms my baby.”

ELENA

“No…” Elena trailed off, looking at Hiro in a mixture of pride - because that was damn impressive - and confusion, because then was the doe actually corporeal in the first place? “It’s never that easy with dark magic.”

She turned her focus back to Orizaba, perched on the rooftop, surveying the town like it was her own little kingdom.

And then the panic set in.

Shit, shit. Okay so the doe was gone but where did it go? Did Orizaba know they were there now? Why wasn’t she coming down to kill them?

Elena had never battled a dark being from the Spirit Realm before. She tried to kill someone once, in a house in the woods in Germany, when a magick hunter grabbed her baby sister’s arm and Elena acted fast and broke a dinner plate over his head, prepared to stab a shard into his abdomen before one of his buddies wrestled it from her hand.

It worked. Kind of. She didn’t get to kill him, but they left Isa alone.

(Later, when they threatened to kill Mateo, Elena grabbed one of their knives and held it to her throat, told them she’d slit her throat if they touched him, too. ‘Crazy bitch’ they called her. ‘She’s worth more money if we get her to that sorceress alive.’ Check, and mate.)

Elena was no stranger to extreme situations. This, however, was some next level shit.

“What now? Like is Goliath going to have to yeet me onto the roof to get at her?”

SOFIA

Sofia made herself watch as Hiro shot the deer, watched it disappear in a cloud of dust, and felt her stomach drop. She knew animals, magical and benign; none of them do that. It left a rotten feeling in her stomach, her gut telling her that if Orizaba didn’t already know they were here, she would soon.

“Now we move, fast,” Sofia hissed, staying low as she began make her way to the front door. “Hiro, you and I will keep Orizaba distracted while Elena gets in place to attack her with the Scepter. If we can find a way to pin her down, even better,” she whispered as they moved, keeping the sword close to her side in case any more undead tried to sneak up on them (Thank you, Aunt Tilly, for making sure Sofia got started with fencing lessons as soon as she started middle school).

“Elena, do not take the shot until you know it’ll hit,” she told the older woman firmly. “You’ve got at most two shots before the Scepter drains you, do not waste them.”

If they survived, Sofia would have to apologize to Elena for being so bossy. But right now, she was Crisis Mode.

“Hiro and I can take care of ourselves,” she said as she rested a hand on the doorknob, looking over at Hiro and giving him a small, confident grin. “Take advantage of the fact that you’ve got the ranged weapon and stay back. Also, aim for the wings.”

With that, she gave them both a nod and silently pressed the door open, moonlight spilling into the foyer from the windows and doorway.

HIRO

Soon after the doe vanished, the illusion of Orizaba on the rooftop did as well, dissolving into the wind. Her focus was elsewhere, and so the group moved along. Hiro nodded at Sofia and her orders. Why was she ordering him around? He was technically his boss! Well, he’d be whenever his aunt died. ANYWAY! He decided to follow through and made mental notes.

When the door  opened, the interior of the house came into view. It was actually quite a modern house, with a beautiful foyer and a spiral staircase to their left. There was a trashed door to the right, and only the one in front of them seemed accessible. It was also half-open.

“That way, I suppose?” Hiro whispered, before distracting himself by looking at an assortment of hats in the corner, hanging from a perch. Everything seemed to be abandoned.

ORIZABA

It was hard to miss the flashes of purple and green magic that sneaked through the doors and windows every time Orizaba did something new to decorate the ballroom. Her wings fluttered as she moved around the place, as the doe began to move around the room as well.

“Where are yooooou, children?” the woman called out sing-songily, her voice being carried all through the house thanks to the place’s acoustic nature. “Never keep a lady waiting!”

ELENA

Elena wanted to die, sure, but not in a fire fight with Orizaba. She wouldn’t make it quick and relatively painless, she knew that much for sure.

Or, there was the option of the Scepter killing her first, because, apparently that was a possibility. In any case, this was going to be a shit time for Elena - for all of them, but even if they won...Elena.

She swallowed hard and followed them both into the house.

SOFIA

Well, there went the element of surprise.

Sofia held up her hand, stopping Hiro and Elena as her mind scrambled for a new plan. She needed to get close, they just needed a place with good cover. They just needed a moment where Orizaba was distracted.

Oh, her brother was screaming at her somewhere.

“Find your opening, wait for my signal,” she mouthed to the two behind her. With a deep breath, Sofia rose up to her full, unimpressive height - and holding her sword loosely at her side - stepped into the doorway.

“My apologies, Señora Orizaba,” she said in Avaloran Spanish, bowing at the waist. “With the current situation in town with the rise of the undead, I’ve been a bit on edge. I am Princess Sofia Álvarez-Hagebak from Enchancia, I am here to speak with you about the night that has enveloped the town.”

Keeping eye contact with the moth goddess, Sofia set the sword down on the floor in front of her. “I don’t want this to come to violence, Señora,” she said earnestly. “I give you my word as Princess of Enchancia that I will not attack you unprovoked. Please, let’s talk.”

HIRO

You know when people say something to you in a low tone of voice, and you don’t hear a thing because a moth fairy is blasting things in the other room? Well, that was what happened to Hiro right then and there. He wasn’t a lip reader, and was completely puzzled when Sofia stood up and walked inside.

He peeked into the room as discreetly as possible, reloading the arm cannon as he did so as to be able to shoot at whichever point he had to. He then looked back at Elena, nodding at her and slipping through the door. He hid behind one of the pillars in the ballroom while the winged lady was distracted.

ORIZABA

The sorceress was most definitely surprised at the sight of Sofia. Mainly because it wasn’t a princess she knew. It wasn’t a princess Gabe knew either, or at the very least not very well, because she couldn’t remember her face at all.

“Señorita, querida. Se-ño-rita,” the fairy corrected. “I’m only a few thousand years old. So why would I want to talk to you? I was actually expecting a different princess,” she admitted. “I supposed you’re here to thank me for the gift of night, are you not? I’d sing a song about it, but I’m quite busy decorating. Either way, thanks have been given. Feel free to leave now.”

She snapped her fingers, and Gabe’s body materialized in the middle of the ballroom, floating under the chandelier, asleep. “If you see any more princesses on your way out, tell them I have something they might want. Frankly, the sooner I get rid of her, the better, don’t you think?”

ELENA

Here, Elena almost laughed. A few thousand years old and she wants to be called señorita? Ay, ay, ay. Who does this demon from hell think she is? Fancies herself some kind of comedian.

Frankly, the sooner I get rid of her, the better, don’t you think?

Here, Elena tried not to make a peep. Really, she did. But the sharp intake of breath may have been enough to alert the ethereal being to her presence.

SOFIA

Orizaba produced the body of Gabe, sleeping peacefully, and only years and years of practice controlling her expression in court kept Sofia’s eyes from going as wide as dinner plates. She had to get Gabe away from her, or at least out of the way. But first, she needed to stall for time.

(Maybe, a hopeful little voice whispered in the back of her mind, you will be able to reason with Orizaba! Sofia knew better now than to put too much stock into that little voice.)

“Señorita,” Sofia amended. “I do admire the gift you’ve given us, and my thanks are there. But have you thought about the long-term effects this eternal night could have?” Sofia spotted the doe from before - she knew it hadn’t died, damn it - and gestured towards her. “Without the sun, all the crops will die and the climate will be too cold. Even your nocturnal friends will begin to suffer.” Sofia carefully didn’t mention the effect the eternal night would have on humans.

Sofia had a pretty good feeling Orizaba did not care.

“Day and night are meant to balance each other, provide for the land so the other can thrive. What if we were able to find some land where you could create your eternal night, more suited to the conditions? We would be able to provide everything else you needed, including a palace for you far grander than this.”

Did she honestly think Orizaba gave a damn? No. But she didn’t need to. Sofia just needed to buy Hiro time so he could get a shot at her wings.

HIRO (& ORIZABA)

The winged woman listened, arching a brow and showing off a smirk. She reached out her hand to pet the doe. “Oh, you need not take care of me,” she assured the princess. “I can take care of myself. Quite frankly, it’s offensive, that what you’re offering.”

Meanwhile, Hiro found his way closer to the floating woman, sneaking along the pillars and hoping to keep away from her sight. His intention was to get to the opposite end of the room, so the fairy’s attention would divert in that direction and give Elena her back.

“I am Itzpapalotl, the Goddess of the Night and the Sorceresses. Before your darling european compatriots came over and stole my throne, the night was for everyone. We all lived in peace and nature thrived. Then you lto came and ruined it all. Locked me away, just like you did with all the others! You didn’t think we’d be able to ever break out. And now, querida, I’m angry. The animals will thrive. Believe me. But you humans will know what it is to suffer for thousands of years. Believe me.”

With that, Hiro was positioned and ready. He took a shot at the moth fairy and hit one of her wings. It regenerated almost immediately, and her flight didn’t break. “Shit,” Hiro muttered, when the woman turned to face him and cackled. “Oh, you brought a friend. How adorable! I wonder which one of you will be more enjoyable to tear apart...?”

ELENA

Elena was waiting for Sofia’s signal. She was waiting. And waiting.

And waiting.

But before it came, she heard Hiro’s arm-cannon-thingy (name pending) go off, and Elena gripped her Scepter, prepared to leap out and fuck Orizaba’s shit up-! Shit, Hiro said. And not a ‘Shit!’ of victory, but one that said ‘this is bad.’

Elena didn’t move. She was waiting on Sofia’s signal.

The waiting didn’t last but another second, though, for what Orizaba said next set fire to Elena bones. No! It was Elena who wielded the Scepter of Light, it was Elena that Orizaba needed to fight, not Sofia and Hiro. It was Elena who was going to be the one to maybe get torn apart tonight, not two nineteen year old kids who just wanted to help her.

When she spoke up, she used tu verbs very intentionally.

“No! You don’t touch them!” Elena cried out, rushing forward. “Keep your hands and your magic off of them!”

She aimed the Scepter, prepared to go right for Orizaba’s face, but in looking up to fire at her, Elena finally noticed what it was Orizaba had talked about having. Her eyes widened the size of the moon in her horror.

“Gabe! Put him down, let him go!”

SOFIA

You know, this wasn’t the first time a dark entity had monologued at her. Wasn’t even the second.

(If she got five punches on her ‘Facing Down the Forces Of Evil’ card, she got a free smoothie.)

Her proposal had the intended effect of setting Orizaba off, and Sofia waited patiently as Hiro got in position and took his shot. His shot didn’t have the intended effect, and for a moment everything seemed to move in slow motion. Orizaba turned to face Hiro, and Sofia leaned down to scoop up her sword. Elena rushed out from behind her cover, and Sofia was already crossing the room at a run.

Elena leveled the Scepter at Orizaba, and Sofia’s fingers went to her own artifact. The Amulet of Avalor warmed in reply.

“I wish to be able to jump very high,” Sofia whispered to the amulet as she ran across the room, and with her next step, flung herself into the air. It would have taken less magic to transform into an animal instead of making a wish, but Sofia needed to keep a hold of her sword. Instead, Sofia felt gravity let go of her for a moment, and she reached out towards Gabe as she reached the crest of her arch. She grabbed onto his chest as she headed back down, and rolled protectively around his body as they bounced along the floor. Oof, ouch, okay he was heavier than she expected, especially when he was all sleepy and floppy.

Sofia quickly shifted Gabe’s body behind her and hopped back to her feet, ignoring the throbbing in her ribs. “NOW!” she yelled, sword held aloft as she prayed that both Hiro and Elena would take the shot at the same time.

HIRO & ORIZABA

Hiro swallowed when the terrifying fairy turned to face him. For a moment, he wondered whether such a woman would be capable of tearing people apart, but then he decided he had to do all he could to not find out. Thankfully, Elena came in at the nick of time, making the winged lady turn around.

“Ah, the belle of the ball shows up in the end!” Orizaba exclaimed, with a joyful cackle. “I knew you’d come save your friend. Too bad you came in last, though, Elenita. I’m disappointed you didn’t lead the  charge. What would Gabe think?”

The woman dispersed into a hundred moths, and rematerialized near the chandelier, when she noticed Gabe being taken away. She materialized the Eye of Midnight in her hand. “I suppose it doesn’t matter. You can have him. That man has exceeded his usefulness. Now, darling…”

Hiro shot when Sofia yelled, hoping to hit the fairy. However, even though he succeeded, the hole that had appeared in her chest soon refilled itself with the help of the moths, and the fairy laughed. “Shit,” he repeated. “Uh - Elena, shoot the ball-thingy!” he exclaimed, gesturing at the Eye floating near the woman’s hand.

ELENA

Elena’s lip curled at Orizaba saying the nickname with the same strange cadence as post-coma Gabe, and her eyes slowly widened in dawning realization.

“You!” She hissed, the informal pronoun falling from her mouth like poison. Elena aimed the Scepter of Light directly at Orizaba’s chest, prepared to fire, until Hiro’s shout redirected her.

Ball-thingy? Again, her eyes about popped out of her head. “The Eye of Midnight,” she mouthed, near frozen in disbelief. It was the stuff of legends in her country, one of the stories from the ancient Maruvians that first thrived in the land that would become Avalor.  Crazy. It looked just like the drawings by the Maruvians and in Mateo’s grandfather’s books of Maruvian magic legends.

No wonder it had been night for what should have been days. With the power inside that thing…

Right. Aim for it. Three shots before she would exhaust herself, maybe five maximum before she’d lose consciousness. Hopefully she wouldn’t need to get to five in the first place.

Eye of Midnight. Aim. Fire.

“Rayo.”

SOFIA

Sofia watched as she hid Gabe’s body behind a pillar, watched Orizaba dissolve into hundreds of moths and reappear across the room, watched Hiro’s laser punch a hole through her chest and watched her not even flinch.

Sofia probably should have wished for the ability to breathe fire instead. Burn up the damn moths instead.

She saw the Eye of Midnight appear and her eyes went wide like Elena’s. Sofia wasn’t an expert on Maruvian artifacts, persay, but she knew her basics, and the Eye of Midnight was a bad, bad sign. It at least explained the whole ‘eternal night’ thing.

She watched, waiting, as Elena took aim and fired. Hiro’s attack may not have affected Orizaba terribly, but it had distracted her, and the Eye or Midnight went flying from her hand to bounce and roll harmlessly across the room. Orizaba turned to get retrieve it, but never had the chance.

Not with five foot and four inches of angry, sword-wielding princess flying at her face.

Sofia shouted as she leapt through the air, swinging her sword in front of her at just the right angle to cut straight through Orizaba’s arm below the shoulder; moths flying into the air as the arm fell and dissolved. Sofia didn’t let that slow her momentum, her knees crashing into Orizaba’s chest as she began her descent. This time, Sofia kicked off before they hit the ground, landing on the balls of her feet a few yards away as Orizaba was knocked into the ground.

“Hold her down!” Sofia yelled towards Hiro, racing towards the goddess and grabbing onto her legs before she could lift back into the air.

ORIZABA & HIRO

It didn’t take long for Orizaba’s arm to get back in working order, thanks to her ability to rekindle herself almost immediately.Still, it was harder to do things without the Eye of Midnight. For one, her familiar had disappeared for whatever reason, and she was being held down by the girl. Still, the moth fairy did her best to slide in the direction of the Eye of Midnight as quickly as possible.

Hiro jumped in at Sofia’s suggestion, reaching to grab and try to pin down the woman. She kept sliding and her hand was reaching out for the Eye, so he fired a quick shot in that direction to make it roll away further. “How’s an overgrown moth this strong?!” he complained, looking at Sofia, as he put his all on hindering the deity of the night. He hoped Elena would end it, and quick.

ELENA

“Not for long!” Elena shouted, taking aim at Orizaba.

It was harder this time, with Sofia and Hiro on her, because if she aimed too far this way or that she’d blaze a hole through the body of a nineteen year old. Now wasn’t the time to overthink things, though.

Aim, shoot. Aim, shoot. That was all she needed to do, but…

“Rayo!”

A blaze of light shot from the Scepter at the command and flew off into the wall, sending chunks of it and the furniture along it everywhere. Get it together Elena, get it together! Aim, steady, ignore the blood in your eye from the cut you just gave yourself.

“Rayo!”

Miss. Fuck, that’s three shots, she can already feel her energy just being sucked out of her. One more time, one more time. Aim, steady.

“Rayo!”

Blue light struck Orizaba in the chest as Elena’s grip on the Scepter faltered, her arms having gone a bit floppy with exhaustion. Please, please, be the end of this. If she was lucky, really lucky, she could manage a fifth shot, but she’d rather not test that theory out.

ORIZABA

Orizaba gasped when the last bolt hit her. She was in pain, and the hole in her chest was surrounded by moths frantically fluttering around, trying to reform the body. However, Orizaba’s true weakness was the light, and that of the Scepter was particularly possible.

“No, you imbecile!” she exclaimed, turning to face Elena with rage in her eyes.

As the fairy desperately tried to reform, her wings slowly seemed to burn away in different spots. Soon enough, the entirety of her body began to do the same. In that moment, she knew it was then or never. She had to take them all down with her.

Her hands transformed into jaguar-like claws, and her legs did as well. The woman’s previously beautiful face began to morph as well, as she shook off the two kids from her body and leapt at Elena, ready to swipe her out of existence along with her.

“You must pay!” she exclaimed, desperately, as she fell toward the princess… And then, right before doing what she wanted to do, the rest of her body burned out, and only a flock of purple moths remained until, eventually, they too dissipated into the realm beyond the physical.

The Eye of Midnight glowed again, there, on the floor, as the clouds of magic that had taken over the town slowly dissipated to reveal the light of the sun. In the corner, Gabe’s eyes opened, and he leaned up as much as he could, taking in the room he was in, very confused.

SOFIA

Sofia had been counting with Elena, counting down the number of shoots left until she was done for the count, until it was two on one instead of three on one.

She felt one of Elena’s blasts come within inches of the back of her hair, singeing some of her hair. Sofia ignored it, fighting to hold down the struggling moth fairy alongside Hiro. They couldn’t do this forever, and neither could Elena.

The next blast, however, went straight through Orizaba’s chest, and Sofia felt the ripple move through her body. It was odd, after all the zombie nonsense that had been going on, to see the empty hole where there should have been fairy instead. The rest of the woman began to rapidly deteriorate as well, moths crumbling to dust, and Sofia nearly fell through the floor when Orizaba ripped her way free to lunge at Elena. Sofia didn’t even have time to try and grab her, to cry out, before Orizaba burst into a million moths. Soon, those too were gone.

Sofia rolled onto her back, breathing heavily as she tried to process the fact that they had done it. They’d really done it. Orizaba was gone.

Through the windows, Sofia could see the night melt away, and the sky turned from black to the soft, buttery yellow and pinks of dawn. She smiled, letting her head fall back and her eyes close.

One down, one to go.

GABE (& HIRO)

“Elena?” Gabe called out after processing the disappearance of the moth fairy. It wasn’t hard to assume who she was, considering the tales back home. How Gabe had gotten there, though, was another mystery entirely. The last thing he recalled was a fire had broken out in the school and he was on his way there.

Meanwhile, Hiro backed away, gazing at the Eye of Midnight and uncertain of what they should do with it. He decided to guard it while the others got their bearings in order.

ELENA

Elena fell to her knees, exhausted and in pain, and would have just laid flat on her back, too if it weren’t for the little confused, “Elena?” from the distance. Gabe. Gabe was awake, Gabe said her name, and it was his voice and his cadence, and it was him this time, and-

And Elena barely had the strength to get up off her knees, but what kind of friend and surrogate little sister would she be if she didn’t?, and beelined for Gabe.

Her strength and wakefulness were fading fast. She was fighting her inevitable blackout so hard right now, the world was getting heavier, and heavier around her, but it- she couldn’t give in just yet. There was a Gabe to hug.

She dropped to her knees beside him, eyelids drooping, and rested her head against his chest to feel for his heartbeat. There it was. Steady, healthy as far as she could tell, very much alive and not zombified or possessed, just her Gabe.

“I m-missed you,” she sniffled, her weak arms wrapping around him as she stretched her neck up to kiss his cheek. “I missed you much much. I’m s-sorry I c-can’t, I can’t explain right now, I don’t have…”

God, she was fading fast. Stupid Scepter. Stupid Orizaba.

“...have time. Scepter. I’ll ex-explain when I wake up but. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, Gabe.” Elena’s voice grew softer every few words, her eyelids fluttered shut, then open, shut, then open.

Elena’s hands clutched at the fabric of Gabe’s shirt as she relaxed into his warmth. “Gabriel, you- I just. Te quiero mucho, big brother. I l-love you so much, and I’m s-so glad you’re ba...back. You’re...ba…”

And Elena wouldn’t recall if she finished that word or not, as it was then that the Scepter’s energy drain took her under and she went limp around Gabe, unconcious.

GOLIATH

Goliath could feel the night finally end, the magic melting away like mist in the sunlight. For once, he welcomed the pain that came with the sunrise as his body twisted and broke and reset into his human skin. He felt his chest, the soft skin that gave and moved under his fingers. His blunt, human nails on five human fingers, his heels flat on the ground.

He looked up at the dawn, the sky painted in a wash of colors, and breathed.

He’d had the sense to drop back to the ground before he lost his wings, and he didn’t feel any sort of tug on his mind as he made his way into the house where Orizaba had made her temporary home. The whole house smelled of bear, but Goliath ignored it; instead making his way into the room where the four humans were left. His eyes immediately sought out Elena, breathing out in relief when he saw her safe - albeit, passed out - on top of a confused Gabe. Sofia was strewn out on the ground, catching her breath, and her friend Hiro was standing next to her, watching…

Goliath approached him, smiling at his former student. “I’ll take care of that,” he reassured Hiro, kneeling down and accepting Sofia’s weak grin and fist bump as he picked the Eye of Midnight up off the ground. Even without Orizaba around, it called to him, and he considered it for a moment before putting it into the pocket of his sweatpants.

After helping Sofia onto her feet so Hiro could help hold the young princess up, Goliath crossed over to Gabe and Elena. He smiled gently at Gabe, resting a hand on his shoulder for a moment. “Good to have you back, son,” he said before looking down at Elena. He easily scooped her small body into his arms, grabbing the Scepter and resting it across her lap. He then turned his back to Gabe, helping the young Royal Guard onto his back.

“Let’s all get home,” he said softly. “Whatever is left, we can deal with tomorrow.” For the sun would rise and set as it should, and slowly, the world would turn back to normal.

(Across town, deep in the forest, the Cauldron shuddered.)

[gabexofxavalor-blog]

Back To Form || Orizaba (Feat. Gabe)

You should read this first: 

Hellish Coup d’etat

A Second Chance

Checking Out

Stay Down? Never.

Nuisance

Summary: Gabe hadn’t been the same person ever since he woke up... As it turns out, he truly was not. The Goddess of Night, Itzpapalotl or Orizaba, finally attains her corporeal form thanks to the power of her Eye of Midnight.

It was All Hallow’s Eve when it all finally began. Gabe stood there, in the middle of the night, with no people around. In the past month or so, he’d been scouting the town for the best place to perform his ritual. And finally, he’d found it. Strayed from the town and close to the lake he’d found the perfect little clearing where prying eyes wouldn’t be able to stop it from happening.

And that was the extent of Gabe’s usefulness by that point. So, through a spell chanted by the own man’s voice, his body plumetted onto the ground right after a round, purple-colored jewel the size of a hand materialized from his chest. The jewel floated idly as the man’s body laid there. Then, from the man’s mouth, the stray soul that had taken possession of him finally emerged.

The soul enveloped the Eye of Midnight and, in a flash, took its true form: A dark-skinned woman with piercing purple pupils and an elaborate dress seemingly fabricated with flowers and plants that most definitely weren’t from around Swynlake. A pair of enormous moth-like purple wings framed an otherwise normal-sized body, and a devilish smile on her face seemed ready to intimidate anyone that came her way.

The woman raised her hand and held on to the Eye of Midnight, plunging it into her own body through magic for safe-keeping.Then, with a twitch of the finger, an emerald-eyed doe materialized from nothing, immediately going up to the fairy and nuzzling her.

“I missed you so, my dear familiar,” the woman chanted to the peaceful beast with the voice of a mother. “Now, what do you say if we start making ourselves at home? Once the necromancer takes over this foul place, we may part across the sea and reclaim our lands. So, just a little bit longer, I assure you.”

A snap of the fingers was enough to get Gabe’s inert body out of sight. And with that, the moth fairy took to the skies, enjoying the breeze in her hair for the first time in a millenia.

[gabexofxavalor-blog]

someonespecial-naomi‌:

Ooooooh, Post-Coma Gabe. You just poked a bear.

Gabe’s first mistake was thinking that, no matter what her mental state, Naomi would let anyone speak about Elena like that. Or any of her best friends, for that matter. Say what you wanted about Naomi, but that was the line that was not to be crossed.

His second mistake was calling her ‘querida’ in that mocking tone of voice.

His third was turning his back.

(The fourth was saying ‘toodles’; just the next thing in a line of so many things about the interaction that felt… off. Felt wrong. It was the ‘toodles’ that set off a warning klaxon in the back of her mind, that set off the tiny voices in her head whispering ‘Something is very wrong’.)

Naomi stormed after Gabe, kicking the door shut the second he started to open it and spinning him by the shoulder so she could pin him to the wood. He may be taller and more muscular than her, but Naomi had always been strong for her size, and she was currently being fueled by a simmering fury. It felt good to be moving again after the past two weeks of being too scared to do anything, after being unable to feel anything beyond the anxiety and fear.

Naomi had always thrived by channeling her temper into energy to get shit done, after all.

“Listen, ese,” Naomi hissed. “I’ve let a lot of shit slide because you were in a coma for three fucking months, but this is where it stops. You are a Royal Guard of Avalor and you have a goddamn job to do, whether or not you think I’m annoying or what-the-fuck-ever.”

She leaned in, teeth bared in a scowl (though they were still rounded and dull and human). “I am not your mother, but until you remove your head from your ass and remember who you are and why you’re here, I am your commanding officer, Lieutenant Núñez. Mateo is missing, Isabel ran away, and it was all on your watch.” 

She let go of where she had fisted her hand in his shirt, taking a step back without breaking eye contact. “Go run your errands, clear your head, and if you’re not back by sundown, don’t think I won’t send Goliath out to hunt you down and bring you ass back.” Maybe Goliath would do them all a favor and drop Gabe on his head again; reset him to the factory settings.

“Because if you’re going to abandon your post and your friends, you bet I’m going to make you say it to their faces.”

Gabe listened. He pretended to care - In truth, the soul within the man couldn’t care one bit about what was being said. So, when the woman backed away, he simply smiled. “Always a pleasure to talk with you, Naomi,” he said, pleasantly, before turning around to leave. He didn’t want her to have the satisfaction of scaring him; he wanted her to want to punch one or several walls after he left.

Originally posted by freakystuffinhere

Nuisance || Turñez

[gabexofxavalor-blog]

marzelsoto‌:

“Why? Is it the self-absorbed persona I put on? Or the way I speak?” Marzel challenged though he didn’t really mean anything to harsh by it. It was just the way he was, words that he had heard in passing in regards to himself.

“But, yes you would be correct, confidence is attractive, why not know what you’re about.”

“Either way, those things do make you more attractive,” the guard admitted, shamelessly. “I’m personally a fan of the self-absorbed persona. Makes you seem more unattainable.”

New Gabe was a totally different person than Old Gabe, and he really loved challenges. Though, if he had to guess, Marzel wasn’t as much a challenge any longer. He’d probably been into it from the start.

In Need Of Some Direction {Gabe & Marzel}

[gabexofxavalor-blog]

melody-the-unwritten‌:

“No worries, It’s not something my family and I talk about a lot. Nothing anyone would know. The benefit of living in a big city before this. There no one really knows you or what happens.”It never really made the news. Not that it could have or should have.

“Sorry for you know bringing down the whole conversation.”

“Hey, y’know, it’s fine,” Gabe said, and smiled at her. “The loss of something you hold dear isn’t somehting you can just keep buried down, believe me. It’s only natural to want to bring it up at some point.” He could relate to that. Many things and people who cared for had been taken from him.

“Anyway, I suppose Elena must be looking for me,” he said, looking back to the doors of the hospital. “I should be going back in. I suppose I’ll see you around, huh?”

Stay Down? Never. {Gabe & Melody}

[gabexofxavalor-blog]

someonespecial-naomi‌:

Oh, she wanted to hit him.

It wasn’t the normal, playful, ‘I want to hit Gabe (but lightly)’ feeling, either. This was ‘I want to punch you in the fucking mouth’. She could only stare at him for a moment, eyes wide as she tried to ignore the deep, fracturing hurt radiating through her chest. She was over-reacting. He was just… trying to be playful.

She was being sensitive.

(He should know better, should know how fragile she really was. They’d been friends for eleven years.)

“Probably has something to do with the whole ‘Our best friend is missing and was last known to be with a malvago’ thing,” she replied, eyebrows drawing together. “And you know what, yeah Gabe. I would like to know. Everyone keeps fucking disappearing, so yes, sometimes I would like to know where you vanish off to without a word for hours at a time. Even just a text, that’s all I’m asking.” Her voice had lost any of its edge by the sentence, instead sounding just… small. She felt small. She felt like she was seven again, standing in the middle of a crowded port surrounded by strangers who spoke only in words she didn’t understand.

She was trying so hard not to let her trauma control their lives, was trying not to nag and harass them about telling her where they were every second of every day. She was fucking trying.

Naomi just wanted to go home. She wanted to slip into the ocean and drift away. She wanted, selfishly, to leave this all behind and race back to the protective embrace of her mother. But no, she was here, in for the long-haul.

Gabe listened. But honestly? He didn’t want to. Naomi was so... annoying. She wanted to appear as a strong protector and a hero and what have you, but she was just a scared little girl. And honestly? Gabe’d had about enough of it. He wondered how the old Gabe tolerated this many people around him telling him what to do and expecting him to bend at their every whim.

This Gabe won’t have that.

“Maybe he left because you’re so annoying,” Gabe said, casually, with the same calm you speak when you tell people you’re going to the bathroom or what you did with your day. “You’re most certainly not my mother, querida,” he added. Were those Gabe’s words? He didn’t care any more. “And you cannot boss me around. Not even Elena can, for that matter. I’m tired and annoyed by the lot of you.”

The man stretched his arms behind his head, and turned around to face Naomi. He walked forward. “I’m leaving now. Tell Elena what you will, honestly. Tell her her big brother is not who she thinks he is. Or tell her something that won’t make her fall into a deep teenager depressive state. Anyway, I gotta run some errands.”

He headed for the door.

“Toodles. Not sure if I’m coming back.”

Nuisance || Turñez

[gabexofxavalor-blog]

someonespecial-naomi‌:

Naomi was… recovering.

Isabel was home, which helped. Mateo still wasn’t, which didn’t. Elena didn’t hate her for actually attempting to kill her, which helped. Naomi had actually attempted to kill Elena, which didn’t.

(’In self defense,’ a little voice whispered sweetly at the back of her mind, comfortingly. ‘You didn’t mean to. It’s not your fault.’)

(Tell that to the marks on Elena’s neck.)

The atmosphere in the apartment was still tense, and Naomi still felt more tightly wound than a spring. She didn’t touch anyone, she only responded to direct questions. She didn’t sleep in her bed anymore, instead curling up in the dry tub where the cold walls kept her comfortingly confined or sitting guard in the hallway into the late hours of the morning. She tried not to stay home when no one else was around, the empty rooms causing her anxiety to crank up to ninety-nine (she was staying at a pretty steady twenty-seven these days). Instead going to the lake and curling up at the bottom, watching the fish swim past as she sang softly to no one. Lullabies to her own tired mind.

She had just come back from one such trip, barely dried off as water dripped down her neck from the messy bun she had shoved all her hair into, when Gabe walked in. Her eyes snapped to him as the door opened, though her head stayed perfectly still, and she frowned softly at his question and his tone.

For a brief moment, the clouds of paranoia in her mind parted, and Naomi thought to herself: ‘Fuck Post-Coma Gabe, by the way.’

“Can’t say the same for you,” she said instead, voice quiet and dull as her eyes followed him. “Where have you been?”

“And don’t just say ‘the gym’, or so help me god…”

Gabe ignored the girl at first, but then decided he didn’t want to. Honestly, how did people not notice Naomi was kind of annoying sometimes? It sure got on his nerves lately, at the very least.

“I’ve been out, obviously,” he replied. “And I’ve also been at the gym. Not all of us have the luxury to hang out in our friends’ apartments all day. I’ve been checking out the perimeter and making sure this place is still safe, if you must know.”

After grabbing a glass of water for himself, he came back out of the kitchen. “Why so cranky?” he asked, teasingly.

Nuisance || Turñez

[gabexofxavalor-blog]

Nuisance || Turñez

@someonespecial-naomi

Gabe walked into the apartment. He had been taking care of things of his own out on town, mostly making sure things were in order out in town and familiarizing himself with the surroundings. It had been his intention to find any and all spots badly-intentioned fellows could use to hide or stalk the group after going to the gym earlier in the day.

Suffice to say, he was somewhat tired, and seeing Naomi in there wasn’t expected. He walked past the woman and left his things on the kitchen counter.

“You spend a lot of time here lately, don’t you?” he asked, almost annoyed in tone, while he reached for his spare shirt inside the gym bag and changed out the one he was wearing.

[gabexofxavalor-blog]

marzelsoto‌:

Marzel was a serious man. He always had been. From a young age he retreated into himself and spoke to learn and stayed quiet to observe. Yet there were still moments, moments where people that didn’t fully know him could get him to crack a smile.

“You’re mighty confident on that front. But I suspect you must be when you know you’re worth it.” Marzel mused moving to take a seat as well his eyes glancing over the other patrons in the pub. “I highly doubt the type of drinks we have are the same. I’ll have whatever you’re having.”

“Well, confidence helps speed some things along, doesn’t it?” Gabe said with a shrug. When they were asked for the drinks, the man smiled at the waiter. He wasn’t too splendid a drinker or anything, and wound up asking for two beers.

“You don’t strike me as someone who doesn’t value confidence, as a matter of fact, Marzel,“ the royal guard ventured to say. “Considering your reactions, I might even dare say you find it attractive.”

In Need Of Some Direction {Gabe & Marzel}

[gabexofxavalor-blog]

melody-the-unwritten‌:

“By your definition or by someone else?” Melody asked softly. Sure she had heard of things like people waking up from comas different people. Life altering situations had a way of changing people. 

“But yeah, um I definitely know the feeling… Or well kind of know the feeling…. My brother.. you see… well. He died when I was a child. Every once in awhile the memory hits and I just remember how fragile life is. How you have to enjoy it.” How she had to enjoy it for him, especially when for the longest time she didn’t know what had actually happened to him.

Gabe listened. If there was something that he’d always had a soft spot for, it was people who didn’t manage to fulfill what they wanted in life, and those they left behind. It wasn’t exactly cheerful.

“I didn’t know that,” he apologized. “Either way, though, yes - It is important to live life. And, you know, honor those who didn’t have the chance we have. I’m really sorry to hear that.“

Stay Down? Never. {Gabe & Melody}

[gabexofxavalor-blog]

marzelsoto‌:

“I suppose you are.” Marzel mused with a small shrug because honestly, he didn’t know quite else what else to say. He was awkward let’s face it and Gabriel knew what he was doing.

“The Hunted Deer.” Marzel spoke unable not to twist his face in somewhat disgust. “Do people really think it’s a clever name to speak of hunts and conquests like that?” Marzel questioned though he couldn’t say, humans, like he wanted to.

“Perhaps, I’m not holding too much hope for that.”

“Thankfully, the food is better than the name,” Gabe assured the man. “Drinks are, too.” The place was certainly more comfy than Pixie’s. Not that the other one wasn’t, but the Deer was a bit more homely, if he had to describe it.

“Well, if the town itself doesn’t exceed your expectations, you already know someone who might,” he said with a grin, gesturing at himself with a wink. He wasn’t about to let go easy, after all.

Taking his seat, Gabe smirked. “What would you like? It’s on me.”

In Need Of Some Direction {Gabe & Marzel}

[gabexofxavalor-blog]

displacedprincess‌:

“Gabe, I- I mean it. I’m not going to give you any problems anymore, I promise.” Elena said as they exited the hospital.

Once a safe distance down the road, Elena dropped his bag on the sidewalk and launched herself at him to hug him tight, burying her face in his t-shirt. In a way, it was like coming home.Elena’d been getting hugs from Gabe since she was a toddler, so going the duration of his coma without one was like one of the rings of hell itself.

She held onto him tight as she could and waited for his hand to drift to her hair, for him to pat her messy wavy-curls and tell her ‘it’s okay, Elenita, I’m okay.’ Something comforting like her big brother-best friend-bodyguard always did.

Just a big Gabe hug and some of his familiar affection to make her really believe he’s here.

“I read to you every day, and kept you up-to-date on on Maluma, Thalia, Sebastian Yatra, and Bad Bunny singles. Now that we knew each other is bi we can thirst about everyone together.” Elena joked, chuckling against his chest.

“I missed you, Gabe.”

“I somehow doubt that,” Gabe joked. Not giving him problems? Yeah, he could tell that wasn’t the way things were going to go. But it was fine. He knew how to handle it, which was the important part.

The hug caught him by surprise. Not that it wasn’t expected given the situation, but he simply hadn’t thought about it. So, he hugged back and smiled, pressing the girl to him for several seconds.

“Everything’s okay,” he assured, before patting the girl’s back. “We can do that and more, so don’t worry too much.” After releasing himself from the hug and reaching for Elena’s hand, he smiled.

“I’m here to stay.”

Checking Out || Gabelena

[gabexofxavalor-blog]

marzelsoto‌:

Admittedly when this day started Marzel hadn’t seen the day going like this. He had imagined he would get annoyed with some humans. He would get some food and then find a way to slip back into his tail. He didn’t imagine he would be flirting badly with Gabriel from Avalor. Cause let’s face it, Marzel was doing horribly at this.

“Let’s start with a drink and see where we go? I’d say you’re already making this day memorable.”

“I suppose I’m good at causing that effect on people,” Gabe smiled, satisfied with the other man’s response. Then, he focused on the walk to the pub, which was already nearby.

The Hunter Deer was a place Gabe had taking a liking to ever since he came back from the dead, so to say. It had a wider variety of food than Pixie’s and it was a bit calmer.

“Here we go. It’s a nice place, you’ll enjoy it,” he assured the siren, gesturing as they walked in. “You know? Swynlake’s small, but it’s got nice places. You might just have a nice time while you’re around.”

In Need Of Some Direction {Gabe & Marzel}

[gabexofxavalor-blog]

marzelsoto‌:

Marzel nodded focused momentarily just on the fact his secret would be in Gabriel’s hands. He didn’t know those Gabriel protected. He didn’t trust them. Did he trust Gabriel? He would supposed he would have to.

So yeah Gabriel’s comment almost did go straight over Marzel’s head. “And what do you intend to do if you keep me all to yourself?” Marzel challenged a few seconds delayed.

Gabriel smirked as he stopped to wait for some cars to pass before crossing the street. He took the chance to grin playfully at Marzel. “Eh, let’s just say that depends on what you’d allow me to do,” he said, before resuming the walking.

As they headed down the corner, closer to the pub as they moved, he continued. “Let’s just say we’d have fun,” the man finally added. “Make your welcome to Swynlake something memorable and all that.”

In Need Of Some Direction {Gabe & Marzel}

[gabexofxavalor-blog]

melody-the-unwritten‌:

“Happens, I’m sure she’s been here every day. Bound to run into her.” Glancing up at Gabe Melody couldn’t stop the smile on her face. Now that was a look of pure relief. It had been awhile since she saw that look on anyone’s face near her. “I bet. I’m sure everyone is glad to have you back.”

“Sorry to bring it up.” It was all of that, that led to this after all. If those events hadn’t happened together maybe that wouldn’t have fallen on anyone. “You’re alright everyone’s alright I’d say that’s a good outcome.”

“Yeah, that’s definitely a good outcome,” Gabe repeated with a nod, smiling up at the sky. It had been a good while since he’d seen it, but it was great to be back. He wanted to make this world his own this time, figuratively speaking. No more boring rules and orders. Or at least not that many.

“things are going to change too, so I’m sure this is for the better,” he said. “I’m a different person now. Hopefully one that’s more fun. Elena doesn’t want to believe me, but it’s true. I can’t just sit back and watch the world unfold, you know?”

Stay Down? Never. {Gabe & Melody}

[gabexofxavalor-blog]

Ryan Guzman in 9-1-1

[gabexofxavalor-blog]

marzelsoto‌:

“Don’t make me stop you from getting your work out in. I’d hate to hinder your day.” Marzel spoke though his eyes weren’t on Gabe, they were on everything around him. He couldn’t help be slightly more on edge out in the open like this. Would he ever find peace if he didn’t like the closed space and he didn’t like being out in the open where anyone could be listening. Even if it would only take one song to get him out, he’d have to go against everything his parents were trying to stand for.

“Better than last time. But I much rather still be in the water.” Marzel spoke slowly. “No telling your royal charges that you’ve found a washed out siren in their building now.” Gabriel knew and back then it hadn’t been a big deal. Now it was. “I’ll have to look into it, better than nothing.”

Gabriel chuckled. “I can imagine,” he said. A siren’s gotta swim and a fairy’s gotta flap her wings. That was the way things worked. Sometimes, humans had it way too easy, didn’t they? Gabe hadn’t thought of it much before, but that was because, well, he was a human.

As they walked, the two kept talking. “Yeah, don’t worry about that,” he responded, joking. “I intend to keep you all to myself.” Gabe winked at the comment, wondering if this one was, too, going to fly over the handsome siren’s head.

In Need Of Some Direction {Gabe & Marzel}